


The Flight to Freedom

by itsadampercyjacksonthing



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Before TOA, F/M, Leo's humor gives me life, My first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15639498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsadampercyjacksonthing/pseuds/itsadampercyjacksonthing
Summary: So, this is my first ever fanfiction! I wrote this back in May for a Creative Writing class at school, and here I am, finally posting it. This is my version of how Leo survived death, and made the journey to rescue Calypso. (While I know that about 99% of the fandom will understand what that last sentence means, there is an author’s note that I wrote to save my teacher from complete and utter confusion. Enjoy!)





	The Flight to Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: (Only useful if you are a clueless human being (*cough* like my teacher *cough* and do not appreciate Rick Riordan) 
> 
> My story is a fanfiction based on the Percy Jackson book series. The story takes place after The Blood of Olympus, and before The Hidden Oracle. In my story, the protagonist is a demigod son of the Greek god Hephaestus, Leo Valdez. At the end of The Blood of Olympus, Leo explodes in the sky and dies a tragic death; however, Leo saves himself by drinking a physician's cure that brings him back to life. My story takes place when Leo awakens in the Underworld, and realizes that he is in fact, still alive. The story describes Leo rescuing his love, Calypso, on an epic quest. Aside from Leo, I have included the Greek god Hades and the Greek goddesses Persephone, Aphrodite, and Athena as characters. I also made a reference to Percy Jackson, who, hence the title of the series, is the main character of the Percy Jackson books.

Leo woke up in the Fields of Asphodel, caught between the aimlessly wandering souls. Darkness encompassed the sky, and wailing screams filled his ears with anguish. Leo frantically glanced down at his arms, and breathed in a sigh of relief as he confirmed their solidity.

“I’M NOT DEAD!” he exclaimed to the souls surrounding him. “You’re dead and transparent, but I’m solid. Leo Valdez is ALIVE!”

A few of the dead glanced at Leo with expressions of disgust, but nothing could smother Leo’s flame of excitement. Leo had hope--hope that he could escape the Underworld, find his trusty mechanical dragon, and save the love of his life from her prison on the island of Ogygia. To complete all of those tasks, though, Leo needed to converse with Hades and figure out how to leave the Underworld--preferably alive.

Leo decided that asking for help served as the best solution. Afterall, he had absolutely  _ no  _ familiarity with Hades’ realm. Leo scanned his surroundings for a familiar face, and breathed in a sigh of relief as he recognized a famous nymph from the Greek myths.

“Yo, Eurydice, you want to help me get out of here?” Leo asked the nature spirit. To his dismay, she let out an exasperated sigh and turned the other way. “No, okay, it’s fine. I’m glad you got bit by a snake and died on your wedding day anyway!” he exclaimed as she drifted away.

Unfortunately for Leo, he still had to figure out how to get to the palace of Hades without becoming Cerberus’s snack or the Furies’ latest catch. He peered around for his toolbelt, making a silent prayer to his dad for allowing him to keep the enchanted item. Since Leo could ask the toolbelt for anything, Leo requested a map of the Underworld. The belt delivered, and Leo scanned his map. If he went East, he would have to face the Judgement Pavilion, and would most likely end up dead. If he went West, Leo would have to tame the monstrosity of Cerberus--Hades’ three headed guard dog.  _ For the gods’ sakes, I’m doomed,  _ he thought.

Leo weighed his options like two objects on a scale, fighting for victory. After what felt like an eternity, Leo took his chances and approached Cerberus. Leo carefully maneuvered his way through the floating souls until he passed right through one. Realizing his unique ability, Leo tore through the fields like a cheetah hunting down a tasty gazelle. He didn’t stop running until he reached the outskirts of the Fields of Asphodel.

When Leo saw Cerberus for the first time, he stood there aghast. The dog stretched into the air like a skyscraper, with matted fur and drooling fangs. When Cerberus barked, everything in the Underworld shook with the magnitude of an earthquake. In a moment of classic Leo stupidity, he sprung into action and pulled a tennis ball from his tool belt. He’d learned his intended trick from his friend Percy, and once again, Leo prayed to the gods that his plan would work. “HEY DROOLING HEAP OF FUR!” Leo hollered at Cerberus with false endearment. “FETCH!”

Leo hurled the ball through the air, and Cerberus ran after it, trampling over everything in his path like a steam roller leveling pavement. Leo took this available moment to sprint past the dog, and dash all the way to the palace of Hades. Two skeleton guards greeted Leo at the door, donning matching army uniforms, and guns that strangely resembled bones.

“Is that some weird form of cannibalism or something?” Leo asked the guards. “I mean killing your own men and then using them as weapons, that’s a nice one. Not even Hephaestus has done that!”

“Who is this irrelevant mortal?” a towering skeleton asked his shrimpy-looking comrade.

“Who am I?” laughed Leo. “ I am Super Mcshizzle, Leo Valdez the great, the seventh wheel among the great prophecy gang, and the creator of the Argo II.”

“I haven’t heard of any of those, Mark,” the larger skeleton exclaimed to his dwarfish companion.

“That sounds like a _ you _ problem,” Leo retorted. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with Hades.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Mark hollered.

Before Mark or the gigantic skeleton (Leo decided to call him Phil), could attack, Leo pulled a hammer from his enchanted toolbelt, and smashed the skeletons to pieces.

“Better luck next time!” he called to the remnants of the guards.

Leo strode into the palace with exuberance, noticing Hades’ gloomy decor.  _ That guy really needed to lighten up the place _ . Leo wandered through the halls until he reached the dining room of Hades and Persephone. He observed Hades sitting in an opaque black bathrobe, and Persephone reading a gardening magazine while eating cereal.

“Leo Valdez!” Persephone exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise! What can we do for you?”

“I’m looking for my mechanical dragon, Festus. Do either of you know where he is? And you know, if possible, I’d really like to get out of here unscathed.”  

“The dragon is alive. As far as your return to the mortal wor--”Hades began.

“FESTUS IS ALIVE?” Leo interjected, literally bursting into flames. “Sorry, that happens when I get excited.”

“Yes, the dragon did survive. Now if you want I can grant you return to the ‘real world’ as you mortals call it.”  

“I’m not mortal,” Leo retorted.

“LEO VALDEZ DO NOT CORRECT THE LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD!” Hades roared. “Now if you’d be so  _ kind _ as to leave my wife and I  _ alone _ so we can enjoy our breakfast.”

“Yes sir!” Leo exclaimed. “McShizzle out!”

Hades snapped his fingers and Leo transported to the mortal world. Next to him stood a bronze dragon, which Leo immediately recognized as his dragon companion.

“Do you want to go to Ogygia and rescue Calypso with me, Festus?” he asked.

The dragon nodded its mechanical head, so Leo hopped onto Festus’s back, ready to rescue the girl of his dreams.

______________

Five hours into flying, Leo realized that he’d forgotten one significant detail: where Calypso lived. He knew he’d visited her somewhere, but  _ somewhere _ didn’t exactly equate to a single location. Aside from that inconvenience, Leo also didn’t know if he had permission to enter Calypso’s island a second time. Legend had it that a man could only visit Calypso once in his lifetime, and if that statement held true, Leo had no chance of rescuing his beloved.  _ Think, Leo,  _ he thought to himself.  _ What would Hephaestus do? _ Suddenly an idea ignited in Leo’s brain, burning bright like the forges of his father. Festus had a state of the art GPS system hardwired into him that knew of mortal and Greek locations,

“Festus, bud, I know we’ve been flying East all night, but I was kinda winging it. I don’t  _ actually _ know where we’re going. So if you could kindly map out a route to Ogygia…” Leo trailed off in embarrassment.

The dragon blew smoke through its nose in annoyance, but nonetheless mapped out a route for Leo. Ironically, Calypso’s island lay 29.332 miles off the West coast, and 3259 miles away from Leo’s current location.  _ Whoops!  _

Accepting his mistake, Leo took a break from his worries by napping on Festus’s back. In Leo’s dream, the goddess Aphrodite suddenly appeared, clad in an elegant lace gown and matching sunhat.

“Leo, your romance with Calypso is captivating. Why, I haven’t seen a couple so in love since your demigod friends Percy and Annabeth. I want the same fate for you and Calypso, which is why I have devised a plan. Come to Mount Olympus and tell your story to the gods. If a majority votes to remove Calypso’s curse, you can take her home. If not, my sincerest apologies. Now if you’ll excuse me I must go. Hera’s wearing an atrocious dress that I simply  _ cannot _ let her wear to Apollo’s concert. Good luck, Leo!”

_________________

Leo awoke to the sound of car horns and cigarette smoke, which could only mean one thing: he and Festus had made it to New York City!

“Festus, we need to go to Mt. Olympus. Percy once told me that it’s hidden in the Empire State building, you know, the tallest place in the city.”

The dragon nodded its bronze head in agreement, and flew full force towards their destination. To conceal their identities, Leo enabled one of Festus’s magical disguises that turned the dragon invisible. With Festus’s cloak in place, the two had no trouble making their way into the city, and landing right in front of the Empire State Building.

Leo slid down the dragon’s scaly back, and strutted into the building with false confidence. Leo waltzed right up to the front desk, and opened his mouth before he could think better of it.

“Hello, Ma'am,” he addressed the receptionist. “I have an appointment with Aphrodite, 300th floor.”

“For a demigod you sure don’t look very strong,” she countered.

“Excuse me, but I’ll have you know I am...very strong,” Leo fought back. “Look at these guns!” he declared, flexing his miniscule muscles.

“That was the saddest flex I’ve ever seen,” she uttered between giggles. “Go on, the elevator on your left will take you up to Mount Olympus.”

The ornate elevator made a familiar “ding” as it opened for Leo. He walked inside, admiring the mini-chandelier and golden decor. Leo desperately wanted to press all of the floor-buttons and create a light up display; however, he restrained his ADHD impulses and fidgeted with his toolbelt instead. Elton John’s “Don’t go Breaking my Heart” blasted through the speakers--Aphrodite’s pick, no doubt. At last, the elevator came to a halt on the 300th floor. Leo stepped out onto a grand cobblestone path, and Aphrodite greeted him with a warm smile.

“Come along Leo, all of the gods are waiting in the throne room,” she stated.

Leo followed Aphrodite nervously, fidgeting with some gears and screws.  The two passed by giggling dryads in the garden, and breathtaking nymphs in the ponds. Alas, they made their way into the throne room. Colossal pillars extended hundreds of feet into the sky, and each throne shone with decor that matched a god or goddess. In the center of the thrones sat Zeus. He gave Leo an intimidating look, but nonetheless motioned for the demigod to stand before him.

“Leo Valdez,” Zeus boomed. “The gods of Mount Olympus and I have discussed Calypso’s situation. We feel that it is time she be removed from her prison. I mean, what, has it been--twenty years, thirty?”

“Two thousand, one hundred, and fifty five to be exact,” Athena corrected.

“Right, close enough,” Zeus retorted. “Leo Valdez, seeing as how you’ve journeyed thousands of miles in your last battle against the menacing mother earth, we’ve decided to bring Calypso to you.”

Zeus motioned behind Leo, revealing Calypso standing in a flowing white gown. Leo bolted out of the throne room and tackled Calypso to the ground with excitement.

“So many visited me throughout the years,” Calypso began. “But none set me free. Leo, you saved me. You broke the curse!” she exclaimed as tears descended down her cheeks.

“Of course I came back for you,” Leo retorted, drying away her tears. “Now come on, this taco restaurant downtown has my name written all over it. Literally, it’s called Casa de Valdez. You know, House of Valdez.”

Calypso’s face broke into a smile as she laughed at Leo’s cringeworthy pun. The two walked hand in hand down the cobblestone road as Leo trailed on, ready for another adventure. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'll be going off to college soon so idk how much time I'll have to write in the future. But if anyone has any suggestions, please leave them below. I'll pretty much write about any PJO, HOO, or TOA ship (especially Solangelo!)


End file.
